


I’m Still Here

by BabyGenius



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV), Julie and the Phantoms
Genre: Asexual Luke Patterson, Bisexual Julie Molina, Canon Compliant, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Ghosts, Luke gets to talk to his parents!!!, Not explicitly mentioned but, Pansexual Luke Patterson, Post Season 1, Post-Series, Ray has a cameo too, Reunion, This one honestly just flowed out of my brain, Unsaid Emily, Up until canon doesn’t yet exist, it was great, so much feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:00:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26471527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyGenius/pseuds/BabyGenius
Summary: Julie turned her head when she heard a knock on the door to the garage. She exchanged confused looks with the boys before calling, “Uh, come in!”Ray poked his head inside. “I have two people asking to talk with you. Emily and Mitch Patterson?”——What if Emily and Mitch, Luke’s parents, see a picture of the band? Obviously they would recognize their son, right? Well, that’s what happens. A beautiful, fluffy, (sad) reunion!
Relationships: Alex (Julie and the Phantoms) & Luke Patterson, Emily Patterson & Luke Patterson, Emily Patterson & Mitch Patterson, Julie Molina & Luke Patterson, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Luke/Julie, Mitch Patterson & Luke Patterson, Reggie (Julie and the Phantoms) & Luke Patterson
Comments: 172
Kudos: 1586





	1. The Reunion We All Wanted

**Author's Note:**

> This fandom has sucked me in from the night the show came out and I have been listening to the playlist on repeat for four days now, it’s just so good. This idea was the second I had in relation to this fandom, and I’ll be writing the fic for my first idea soon. Honestly, I got to 300 words of this story, time flew, and the next time I checked I was at 2500, this idea just flowed it was great. 
> 
> Anyway, if y’all wanna talk on tumblr my account is @blerghfish, but, for jatp stuff, I’ll be posting on the account I made last night: @julie-and-the-phat-ones
> 
> If it doesn’t work, message me over tumblr and I’ll help you get it, it’s a lot of fun and we’re all just gushing and tossing theories back and forth and stuff.

The days in the house had been muted ever since Luke’s death. Even though it had been twenty-five years, it still felt like just yesterday when the hospital had called and had them come down to identify the body. To identify the body of their baby boy.

And the worst thing? Luke must have hated them, they thought. Emily blamed herself for him running away. If she had only been more accepting, if she had tracked him down to talk, if she had been _better_.

Then, _then_ , that sweet girl, Julie, had come with the song that Luke wrote. It wasn’t necessarily closure, but it was something similar. To know that Luke hadn’t held hate for them in his heart when he died made things just a little bit better, even though they would never be able to fully reconcile like they wished they could.

Emily was watching the news late one night when it happened. A picture of Julie came up on the screen, the girl decked out in a purple and blue floofy dress and sparkly punk cropped jacket, on stage with three boys. The picture was a bit blurry, but Emily paused the screen before the picture could move, ignoring the news person that was speaking.

“Is that…” She leaned close to the screen. She could swear that the boy on the right looked like Luke. Looked like her baby. “Mitch!” She called, her voice wavering.

She heard shuffling from the other room before he joined her. “What is it, Em?”

“Look at this, it’s that girl Julie and her band at the Orpheum. Look at the boy on the right, doesn’t he…?” She trailed off, hope in her voice. Mitch leaned forward, his eyes narrowed.

“That looks like—is that Luke? How…?” He pulled out his phone and searched the band, Emily doing the same. The page loaded for her first, and she showed him the video of Julie’s performance at her house, the song “On the Edge of Great”, and Mitch gave a nod of his head for her to start it.

They watched with baited breath until the “holograms” popped in. Emily’s breath shook in her chest, her hand moving to cover her mouth. “Do you think—” her voice cracked as tears welled in her eyes.

“I think…I think we need to go over and talk with her. This is…I don’t even know how…?” Mitch’s voice was lost, his eyes wet.

Emily only nodded wordlessly, her shoulders shaking as tears silently slid down her face. “We’ll go later today, when school will be done. That way we—we don’t accidentally miss her.” Mitch put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him and put her own hand on top of his with a watery smile.

It had only been a few days since the performance at the Orpheum and Julie was still riding the high of being able to touch and interact with the boys, as well as their continued presence in her life. Nick had been acting a little oddly the few times she had interacted with him, but, aside from minor concern, she figured it wasn’t something to worry about (though she couldn’t help but feel _wrong_ when she interacted with him, and she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why). She and the boys were set to work on a new song when she got back home. She and Luke had spent forever working on it to make sure it was perfect, and she was excited to practice it.

Luke hugged her first when she got to the studio, and Alex and Reggie quickly followed. It didn’t seem like they were going to get sick of being able to interact with her any time soon, and they hugged every time they saw her (Luke always held on just a few seconds longer, and Julie loved it). She was fine with that, though, because she wouldn’t get tired of it either. “Alright, let’s go.”

Luke grinned before walking over to his spot. The beginning notes of the song were hesitant at first, but Julie quickly fell into the groove of the new song, belting out the lyrics with a grin. When the boys joined in she got up and started dancing around with them.

The song was over too soon, leaving them all panting, large smiles lighting up their features. Alex pushed his hair out of his face.

“That was great!” Luke exclaimed, his chest heaving. “So I was thinking, what if on the second chorus, instead of pausing between mind, heart, you push the pause to between heart and and?” He demonstrated what he meant, and Julie nodded along with a smile, joining in.

“Yeah, I think that works a lot better.” Julie turned her head when she heard a knock on the door to the garage. She exchanged confused looks with the boys before calling, “Uh, come in!”

Ray poked his head inside. “I have two people asking to talk with you. Emily and Mitch Patterson?”

Julie’s eyes widened and she tried to avoid looking at Luke. “Uh, yeah, give me a second. I know them.” She turned around to look at Luke, panic on her face. “I don’t know what they’re doing here. Are you going to be okay if I bring them into the garage?”

Luke, whose previously bright smile had fallen, nodded. He scoffed in an attempt to seem dismissive, “Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”

Julie gave him a searching look before nodding. “Okay.” She opened the garage door and walked into the kitchen, where the Patterson’s were waiting somewhat awkwardly as her papá tried to engage in small talk and failed. She cleared her throat, “I heard you wanted to speak with me?”

Emily looked up with a suddenly wavering smile. “Yes. It’s about—it’s about Luke, actually. Could we speak privately?” She looked at both Julie and Ray when she asked this. When Ray looked at Julie questioningly, Julie nodded her head.

Ray stood up, his hands on his thighs. “I’ll be upstairs. Call me if you need anything, _mija_.”

Julie nodded and watched as he left before turning back to Luke’s parents. “We can take this to the garage?”

Mitch nodded, his hands in his pockets. “Yes, please.”

Julie smiled awkwardly before showing the way to the studio, waving them in first before following and shutting the door behind her. She shared a worried look with the boys, giving Luke a soft, empathetic smile when she saw his eyes were slightly wet.

She clapped her hands awkwardly, focusing her attention back on Luke’s parents and swaying in place a little. “So, what was it you wanted to talk about?”

Emily pulled out her phone and held up a picture, zoomed in on a very _specific_ member of the band. “Why does one of your holograms look like Luke? I thought they were real people from somewhere else in the world, but…but this is…”

Julie’s heart stuttered in her chest and she looked at Luke in a panic. He shook his head, his chest heaving and his eyes wet. “I—I don’t know what to do? Do I show them? How would I show them? I—” His voice broke.

Mitch, who hadn’t heard a single word his son said, cleared his throat stiltedly. “You have to understand, our son has been dead for twenty-five years, and then you visit us with that beautiful song from—from our son, and only a week later we see what looks to be our son in your band. We’re confused and we just…we just want to understand.”

Julie nodded. “I understand.” She fiddled her fingers a little, trying to figure out how to put it into words. Eventually, she said, “It’s just…it’s hard to believe, and I don’t want you to think I’m lying or anything.”

Emily walked up to her, grabbing Julie’s hands in her own and meeting her eyes. “ _Please_. I need to know.”

Julie stared into her eyes for a few seconds longer before meeting Luke’s. She looked at him as she said, “The—the truth is that they’re not holograms. They’re ghosts.”

Mitch’s eyes widened as he stumbled back, straight through Reggie. He shivered. “How is that…?”

Julie shrugged, a small, sheepish smile pulling at her lips. “I don’t really know? Most people can’t see them except for when they play with me, and when they’re playing on their own people can hear them. I can see them all the time though.”

Emily’s eyes widened, her lips trembling as she looked around the studio. “Is…is he here right now? Is Luke here?”

Julie looked at Luke for permission, smiled softly when he gave the go-ahead and nodded her head. She met Luke’s eyes, red and filled with tears. “He’s here.”

Emily gasped, her hand going to her mouth as her shoulders shook. Mitch drew her into a hug. “And we can’t…can’t see him?”

Luke cleared his throat roughly, trying to get rid of the lump blocking it. “I think I—I think I have an idea. We leveled up, right? Maybe, if I just play my guitar I’ll be able to talk with them?”

Julie nodded. “Give it a try.” Emily and Mitch looked at her in confusion. She quickly explained. “Luke thinks he has a way to let you guys see him.”

Alex knocked Reggie lightly with his hand before turning to Luke. “We’re gonna give you some space. We’ll be in the house, let us know if you need anything, okay?”

Luke nodded as Alex and Reggie pulled him into a quick hug, Julie doing the same. “I’m gonna give you guys some privacy, come get me if you need me, okay?”

Luke nodded, smiling as the boys poofed out and Julie walked out. He turned to his parents, who were looking around with brokenly hopeful faces. He took a deep breath before beginning a basic riff on his guitar, a watery smile gracing his face when they gasped and looked at each other. He focused inward on that familiar something he felt when he was able to be seen and heard while playing. He honed in on that feeling and focused on pushing it to the forefront.

It took a few seconds, but eventually his mom’s eyes landed on him, her breath catching and his father doing the same. He smiled at them and focused as hard as he could on staying present, something he and the band had been working on. They were occasionally able to be seen without music now, and he just had to pin down the feelings behind those circumstances.

As he put his guitar down, his parents were still able to see him.

“L-Luke? My baby? Is that really you?” Emily’s words were cracked and snot-filled, but they were music to Luke’s ears.

He strode over, pulling his parents into a tight hug, his focus only on staying tangible and _there_. “It’s me, mom. And I’m so, so sor—”

Mitch shook his head, holding onto Luke’s shoulders as he pushed him away to get a good look at him. “No, no, you don’t need to be sorry. It’s us. We didn’t understand. We—we drove you away and…”

Luke shook his head frantically. “No! No, it’s—it’s not your fault.” He offered them a small grin. “I wasn’t the easiest kid.”

Emily laughed wetly, shaking her head. “No, you weren’t. But you were _ours_ , and we love you so, so much.”

“I love you too, mom, dad.” He smiled, wiping his nose before pulling them into another hug.

His dad squeezed him before releasing, looking a little awkward. “So you—you’ve been a ghost this entire time?”

Luke shook his head. “We don’t really know how it worked, but we just—returned?—like a month ago.”

His mother’s eyes widened. “When your birthday candle blew out—were you?”

Luke nodded. “I was there. Sitting on the counter.”

Mitch shook his head with a smile. “You always did love sitting there.”

Luke grinned, shrugging.

Mitch seemed to realize something. “When Julie brought us that song?”

“I was there. I…may have been singing it.” Luke rubbed his neck and chuckled softly.

Emily gasped. “I knew I heard your voice. I thought it was almost like you were there.” She laughed, “I guess you were.”

She paused for a second, searching for something to say. “So—so how does this work? Aren’t ghosts supposed to be—aren’t you not supposed to be able to touch them?” Emily reached her hand out, but drew it back at the last second.

Luke smiled softly. “Yeah. It was an issue when we first got here. I couldn’t even pick up a box in the beginning.” He laughed. “But…the night of the Orpheum performance? Something happened, and then—and then Julie was able to touch us, and we figured out that sometimes people can see us without us playing. We’re still figuring out how it works, so it doesn’t always…doesn’t always work.”

“So you what? You can pass through objects?” Mitch questioned, his eyes wide.

Luke nodded. “See?” He passed his hand through the table and then pulled it out. His parents watched with wide eyes. He grinned. “We can also teleport. Although, Reggie sometimes has issues,” he added after a second of thought, remembering the many times Reggie had briefly lost an article of clothing or appeared halfway through an object.

Emily nodded, her eyes still wide. “And this…Reggie? He’s a member of your band?”

Luke nodded eagerly. “I can go get them if you want to meet them?”

His parents shared a look before nodding, smiles on their face. He grinned at them and then poofed out, leaving them gaping.

Reggie and Alex had their backs to him when he got to the room, Julie sitting with them. He snuck up behind them before darting his hands out to quickly land on their shoulders. They both jumped in the air with yells before turning around and glaring at him.

“Are you done already?” Reggie asked, his head cocked.

Luke shook his head. “They said they want to meet you.”

Julie smiled. “So they can see you?!”

Luke nodded quickly. “Yeah! I don’t know, I just focused on…being there, I guess? On pushing all of my energy toward the idea of being seen by them, and they could.”

Alex smiled, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Dude that’s so great! Come on, let’s go.”

The ghosts poofed back into the studio while Julie was left to walk (she wasn’t salty about it in the slightest, what are you talking about?).

Luke sat down on the chair they had moved in front of the couch. His parents smiled at him, looking around. “So…are they here?” Mitch asked, his eyes peering.

Luke nodded. “Yeah, they’re here. They’re just figuring out the whole ‘being seen’ thing, y’know.”

Emily nodded haltingly.

By the time Alex had figured it out, Julie had just walked into the studio. Alex turned around to see Luke’s parents looking at him. He looked behind himself just to double check she wasn’t looking at anything else before turning back. “Yes! I did it!”

Luke held his hand back for a high-five, prompting Alex to hit it happily. Reggie gave a groan of frustration, his face scrunched up. Luke and Alex looked at each other. Alex swapped places with Luke, taking his seat while Luke went to help Reggie.

Emily looked him up and down before focusing on his face. He smiled, sticking out a hand. “Hi, I’m Alex. I’m the drummer.”

Emily tried to shake his hand, but hers slipped straight through his. She looked up, her eyes worried and her brows furrowed.

Alex shook his head. “Sorry, I’m still working on the whole tangibility thing. Let’s try that again.”

This time they were able to shake hands, and Mitch shook hands as well, smiling at the boy. “So you’re in the band with our son?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, I was in Sunset Curve with him too, before we all…well.”

Emily pursed her lips but chose to ignore the reminder.

Alex looked back, groaning at something Emily and Mitch couldn’t see. “Reg, you need to _focus_.”

Luke nodded, a teasing grin on his face. “I know that’s hard for you, but you actually need to focus all of your energy. No wandering thoughts.”

Luke’s parents jumped when another boy popped into existence with an exasperated cry of “Finally!” They looked at each other and started to chuckle.

Julie and the rest sat down in front of the couch. Reggie waved at them. “Hi, I’m Reggie. I’m the bass guitarist.”

“Nice to meet you, Reggie.” Emily smiled.

Reggie grinned at her. “Hi.”

Mitch cleared his throat. “So you boys were in the band?”

Alex nodded. “Yeah, us and one other, but he’s...well, he’s still alive.”

Emily nodded, her eyes watering at the reminder that…that her son was actually dead. “I’ve heard your songs with Julie. They’re so good, who wrote them?”

Julie smiled, sharing a soft look with Luke. “That was Luke and me.”

Luke’s dad looked at him with his eyebrows raised, impressed. “I had no clue you wrote so much.”

Luke shrugged awkwardly, rubbing his neck. Emily reached over and grabbed his other hand, forcing him to meet her eyes. “You are so, _so_ talented, and I’m sorry we tried to keep you from it.”

Luke smiled, his eyes red and puffy. “I’m sorry I left.”

Julie found her eyes watering too. When Emily dropped Luke’s hand she pulled him into a side hug, latching onto his hand. She missed Emily and Mitch’s knowing looks, but that’s okay.

“So where’s your next performance?” Luke’s father asked, leaning forward and clasping his hands.

The band looked at each other. “We haven’t scheduled another one, yet, actually.” Alex shrugged.

Julie’s phone dinged and she pulled it out, reading the message, a smile breaking out on her face. “Actually, Flynn just got us a gig. It’s at the Echo, can you believe it!?” Her smile was infectious as she squealed.

“That’s great!” Luke clapped, bumping shoulders lightly with Julie before furrowing his eyebrows. “That’s a good place, right?”

Julie nodded. “Yeah, it’s about nineteen years old so you missed it by six years, but it’s a really good place to get a start.”

Emily smiled. “I guess we’ll just have to come see, then. When is it?”

“Saturday at eight thirty,” Julie said.

The boys pulled her into a hug. “That’s great Jules!” Alex squeezed her before letting go.

Their excitement was interrupted by a knock on the door. The boys looked at each other before popping out of sight of everyone except Julie. Ray poked his head in. “Everything okay in here? I heard squealing.”

Julie nodded. “Mr. and Mrs. Patterson were just asking about my next performance, and Flynn just told me she booked us for the Echo.”

Ray cheered. “That’s great, _niña_! Congratulations! I’ll be in the house.”

Emily and Mitch stood up as the boys poofed back into sight. “We should…probably go,” Mitch said, staring at Luke with a disbelieving smile. Emily nodded, circling around the table. She pulled Luke into a tight hug, sniffling. Mitch joined in and they lingered for a few seconds before disentangling, Emily out her hands on Luke’s shoulders.

“I guess we’ll just have to come and see you perform, then, won’t we?”

Luke smiled that puppy dog smile of pure happiness, nodding. Mitch patted him on the shoulder before he and Emily walked away, only looking back briefly and then they were gone. The band gathered into a happy hug as Luke cried.

“I—I didn’t think they’d ever be able to see me again.”

Julie laughed. “I guess it’s good we performed at the Orpheum and that I went to visit, isn’t it?”

Luke nodded, snuffling. Alex’s lips pulled into a soft smile as he pulled Luke into another hug. “I’m glad you got to reconnect with them, dude,” he muttered.

Reggie nodded, placing his hand on Luke’s bicep. “Yeah, bro, me too.”

“Thanks.” Luke wiped his eyes before grinning. “Who’s ready for some more practice, I’m feeling pumped!”

Julie laughed, checking her watch. “I’ve gotta go eat, but then yes, definitely.” Luke followed her out of the studio before tapping her on the shoulder. She turned around and was pulled into the tightest hug he’d ever given. They stood there like that, soaking in each other’s presence.

“I’m really glad you visited my parents, Jules,” Luke muttered, resting his head on her own.

Julie nodded into his chest. “Me too. I’m glad you got to reconnect and talk with them.”

Luke just chuckled softly, squeezing her tighter and then letting go. He smirked, his eyes bright. “Alright, go eat and then come back ready to rock out!”

Julie snorted. “You bet.”

Luke watched her go, a fuzzy feeling in his chest. He smiled to himself before walking back to the studio. Alex and Reggie gave him knowing looks, but he only shook his head with a grin.

“Nothing happened, guys. Jeez.”

Alex smirked. “Yeah, _yet_.”

Luke briefly looked like he wanted to protest, but eventually he gave in with a hopeless shrug. “ _Yet_.”


	2. Lost and Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily lost her son for twenty five years, but by someone’s grace she got him back, and she would _not_ mess up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this was only gonna be a oneshot, but then it blew up and I got a few requests for a continuation, so I figured I would do that because I kinda wanted to see it too. Anyway, that’s this finished, up next will be the next/last chapter of Self-Discovery, and on Friday will be the next chapter of Long Live the Dead. 
> 
> Stay tuned, I’m gonna be writing this fandom for a while!

Emily and Mitch have made sure to stay in contact. They had even gotten the boys phones, though they weren’t allowed to use them outside of the house or studio unless it was an emergency (since they didn’t want people accidentally seeing floating phones, even if they could become visible now). Luke was happily exploring the phone, mainly to talk with his parents all the time and to text the band. Reggie had swiftly figured out the internet, and Alex was discovering social media and TikTok.

The gig after Luke had reunited with his parents was one the Pattersons were given special access to (allowed to get inside without waiting in line) because they were “close family friends”. They looked somewhat out of place since they didn’t really frequent the club scene, but everybody ignored it. Emily made sure they got seats at the very front, settling in and exchanging an excited look with Mitch.

She and Mitch had convinced Ray to allow Julie and Flynn to go out to dinner with them, as a thank you for helping bring them closure (and being able to see their son again, but they couldn’t tell him that). The boys were going to come and just hang out, since apparently they could no longer eat.

Emily was pulled out of her inner musings when a man leapt on stage, a bright showman’s grin on his face and dark combed back hair. “Laaadies, Gentlemen, and other fellow humans! I hope you’re all enjoying your night at the Echo! Next up, we have an up-and-coming band that you may have heard of before. They’ve taken LA and the internet by storm, and I bet we’re all mystified by how they’re able to do it. Please welcome, Julie, and, the Phantoooooms!”

Emily and Mitch joined in happily on the whoops and cheers as Julie walked on stage, smiling and waving as she sat down in front of the keyboard. She pulled the microphone closer, swallowing before saying, “Hi everyone. This first song is one dedicated to people who have given up on their dreams. It’s never to late to start chasing them.” She smiled at the crowd before beginning to play, opening with a few notes and then beginning to sing.

Emily closed her eyes, listening to the flowing melody as it began to increase in tempo. She smiled softly when she hear the far away echo of drums, bass, and guitar before they became loud and joined in fully. Emily didn’t even bother trying to stop the tears when she heard her son join in. Mitch grasped onto her hand tightly as she opened her eyes to see Luke performing. How could she have missed how important this was to him when he was…alive?

He sang with a bright grin on his face, his eyes focused on Julie as she bounced around stage. He exchanged a look with the boys when they added in background harmony, a mischievous look. Emily wasn’t confused for long, because soon after he began to creep up behind her. He began his verse right next to her ear, causing Julie to jump in surprise and the crowd to laugh.

She recovered quickly, though, backing up and leading him to follow as they harmonized together. Emily looked over at Mitch, a wet smile on her face and a soft one on his.

Julie and Luke’s ending harmony drew Emily’s attention back to the stage, Luke standing back and giving a small, soundless laugh as he looked at Julie. Emily smirked. Her boy was whipped, and she had never thought anything other than playing could get his attention like that.

The band went on to perform a few more songs, Luke leading the second, all of them taking turns for parts of the third, and returning to Julie as lead singer and Luke as primary supporting singer for the last one. The boys looked out onto the crowd when they finished, smiling and bowing, vanishing on the way down. Julie chuckled a little at the gasps that echoed through the crowd, they would never get old. She smiled, bowed again, and waved as she walked off stage.

Emily only jumped a little when her son and the other two boys appeared next to her and Mitch. She turned to Luke, grabbing for his hand and making sure he had enough time to become solid. “That was so good, sweetie. I’m so proud of you.” She turned her attention to Alex and Reggie. “And I’m proud of you boys too.”

Reggie smiled and Alex ducked his head, Luke grinned at her dopily. Julie walked up behind them, wearing a baggy sweatshirt with the hood up to prevent people from identifying her, Flynn following with a wide grin on her face. “Guys that was so good!”

“Thanks!” Reggie smiled at her, pulling Flynn in for a side hug which she happily returned.

Emily asked for permission with her eyes before pulling Julie into a hug. She pulled Mitch and the rest of the group in too, squeezing them tightly and breaking off. “So, Mitch and I were thinking we would show you guys a diner we’ve grown to like over the years. Does that sound good?”

Everybody nodded and followed her as she weaved through the crowd. Ray had left and taken Carlos home, and wasn’t expecting Julie or Flynn (who was spending the night) home until ten. They all piled into the van, Mitch driving, and pulled into the road.

Luke looked at Julie, a grin on his face as he pulled her and the boys in close. His eyes twinkled mischievously and he pointed a finger at the radio, flicking his index up and starting the radio, which was playing a Trevor Wilson. His nostril twitched in disgust and he flicked his finger again, changing the channel to one playing “I’m Still Standing”. Luke laughed and joined in with the boys, all of them floundering because they didn’t know the lyrics as Julie sang along perfectly, Flynn ad-libbing some beatboxing.

Emily looked at the rearview mirror, a smile lighting up her features as she and Mitch’s eyes met in the mirror. She allowed her lips to quirk slightly, joining in on the singing and Mitch adding his own deep voice as a resounding bass to compliment Alex’s.

She had lost her son for twenty five years, and had been sure she would never get him back. That their last words exchanged would be ones of anger, ones that didn’t show how much she _loved_ him. But, through some miracle, grace of God, whatever it was, she got him _back_ , and she would do it right this time. She and Mitch would be there, would support him and his dreams and his quickly forming relationship with Julie. She was unexplainably lucky, and she would make sure it wasn’t for nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this lived up to everybody’s expectations and that it felt like a good closure for the fic.

**Author's Note:**

> So how was it? I thrive off of comments and kudos. Even if you don’t have the energy to leave a comment (which I totally understand), the kudos is just a single click. Let me know what you think! Even a single word is appreciated you have no idea.
> 
> Also, if you have ideas, let me know, and I’ll see about writing them (no promises, but I’ll try my best). 
> 
> And, I made a discord server! It’s for writers, artists, alpha readers, beta readers, and other content creators. It’s also for cheerleaders—people who may not create content, but still like to see the creative process in work and help by cheering others on. https://discord.gg/yUjR2FMV
> 
> For those who are curious: I also publish a batman white collar crossover, merlin, and star trek.
> 
> Hope y’all are healthy, happy, and safe!


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